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Mental Health Statistics

1 in 5 Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime.1

About 20% of people with a mental disorder have a co-occurring substance use problem.1

70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence.1

Men have higher rates of addiction than women, while women have higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders.1

More than 75% of suicides involve men, but women attempt suicide 3 to 4 times more often.1

Almost one half (49%) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem.2

Just 50% of Canadians would tell friends or co-workers that they have a family member with a mental illness, compared to 72% who would discuss a diagnosis of cancer and 68% who would talk about a family member having diabetes.1

Nearly half of Canadians (46%) think people use the term mental illness as an excuse for bad behaviour.1

While the majority (58%) say they would socialize with a friend who has a mental illness, the proportion who say they would socialize with a friend who has an alcohol (32%) or drug addiction (26%) is significantly lower – suggesting that the stigma of addiction is significantly greater than that associated with mental illness.3

The economic burden of mental illness in Canada is estimated at $51 billion per year. This includes health care costs, lost productivity, and reductions in health-related quality of life.1